Friday, August 1, 2014

In riding Ri this summer, I've experienced a mix of frustration, fear, motivation, and sometimes, success! If it is a struggle sometimes, it's because we're holding ourselves to a higher standards for performance. It's not enough to look sort of round travel along on the shoulders. The back end needs to be engaged, the shoulders up and out of the way, and at the helm using subtle cues to direct. That's the picture we're aiming for.

Our good days can be very, very good. On some days, the two of us just take a while to click in. I can't consistently diagnose "what to fix" without eyes on the ground, but I'm getting better. Once we get where we need to be, I'm pretty good at keeping it.

Harv and the happy place
I can't help but harken back to the days of riding Harv. Ri has the talent and the good nature, but he isn't as naturally tuned-in as Harv was back in the day. Harv, I never appreciated how kind and easy you were to ride. You met me more than half-way and I didn't even know it.

6 comments:

As another owner of an older horse, I really identify with this. Sometimes I think that if I knew back then what I know as a rider now, how much better could Sissy (my mare) have been? I think the hardest part of riding is the fact that the feeling of connection and harmony is lost as our equine partner ages. Only the memory of that feeling of riding together and working in perfect harmony is left. And then we are left to try and recapture that feeling with a new horse partner.